Small Craft Locking Device

ABSTRACT

A small craft locking device comprising two rings, one being smaller than the other, each ring connecting to an eye at their midpoint, a rigid hook ending with an eye on a long end of said hook and a padded piece on a short end of said hook, the eye of the hook connecting to the eye of the smaller ring, and the eye of the larger ring being connected to the hall hook at the first bend in the hook relative to its long end by a flexible piece.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 (e) (1) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/573,796, filed Sep. 12, 2011, for a KAYAK LOCKING SYSTEM, of common inventorship.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of sporting goods, and more specifically to the field of equipment and cargo security accessories, specifically designed for kayaks, canoes, or other elongate devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Owning a boat brings many challenges including time and financial loss such when a boat is damaged, destroyed or stolen. Light and portable boats such as kayaks and canoes are especially vulnerable to these losses. The prior art has put forth several designs for cargo security and transporting accessories.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,748 to Peter Tarquinio describes a pickup truck cargo rack designed for easy mounting to and removal from a truck bed. The cargo rack is adjustable so that cargo support members may be raised to carry large items such as boats, kayaks, lumber and pipe. The cargo support members may be lowered to a small distance above the outer side edges of the truck bed enclosure for carrying smaller items.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,722 to Stanley T. Chapmond and Robert P. Todd describes a one piece locking device for securing kayaks to stationery objects and automobile mounted car top carriers. The apparatus consists of a single plastic coated cable with a larger fixed loop at one end and two smaller fixed loops at the other end. The larger fixed loop is placed around one end of a kayak and the remaining cable passed under the crossbars of a car top carrier and then around the opposite end of the kayak. By securing the two smaller fixed loops together with a lock, a loop is formed around the opposite end of the kayak.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,125 to John D. Bain, Jr. describes a method and apparatus for securing a kayak or similar elongated object. The apparatus includes a pair of hoops each having a diameter large enough to slip over an end of the kayak but not the entire body. A cable is secured at one end to each of the hoops and another cable attached to one of the hoops loops around a stationery secure object and connects with the first cable using a padlock.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a comprehensive and easily used system for locking one or more kayaks or canoes together or individually to a variety of fixed objects such as, trees, dock pilings, tie-down rings of a pickup truck bed, or bars of a car-top roof rack, for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top of the present small craft lacking device.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective of the present small craft locking device fitted on a kayak.

FIG. 3 shows a hull hook for two kayaks holding the kayaks securely in place.

FIG. 4 shows a hull hook for two kayaks holding the kayaks securely in place in the bed of a pickup truck.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, a small craft locking device, provides kayak and canoe owners with a simple and effective means of securely locking up their watercraft. This small craft locking device is suitable for any size or style of kayak or canoe. As shown in FIG. 1, this device comprises a slip-on bow ring [1] and a slip-on stern ring [2]. One ring is slipped on to each end of the boat and then joined to each other by a chain or cable [3] and a hall hook [4] that has a padded end [5]. This chain or cable is locked with a padlock to a fixed anchoring object. The bow and stern rings are plastic sheathed or coated steel cable loops, large enough to slide over the hull and deck of the boat aft and forward, but not large enough to slide over the relatively wider beam amidships. The bow and stern rings are equipped with steel rings or eyes [6]. These rings furnish the anchoring points for the cable or chain that pulls the bow and stern rings taut, so that neither ring can be dislodged from the boat. The bow and stern ring mechanism render the kayak or canoe unusable. For further security, the rigged boat may be chained and locked to a tree, dock piling, kayak or canoe rack, or other fixed object. FIG. 2 shows the device of FIG. 1 secured to a kayak.

A second embodiment of the present small craft locking device is shown in FIG. 3. This second embodiment includes a hull hook [7] is appropriate for cockpit equipped kayaks and is produced in a model for both single kayaks and for paired kayaks. This embodiment is especially useful for securing kayaks in the bed of a pickup, as shown in FIG. 4, and provides secure protection when used to lock the boat to a suitable fixed object. The hull hook is a steel rod sheathed or coated in plastic or polymeric foam. One end of the rod terminates in a ring or eye [8]. This rod extends the length of the kayak's half deck, turning downward approximately ninety degrees to a point below the cockpit coaming and running forward another approximately ninety degrees in the hull's interior, parallel with but shorter than the exterior portion of the rod. The interior end of the hull hook is fitted with extra foam or padding [9] to protect the interior of the hull. When the hull hook is inserted, the exterior portion of the hook lies on the kayak's deck and extends to a point slight forward of the boat's prow to a paint just to the side of the prow. The eye at the end of the hull hook may then be chained or cabled and locked to a fixed tie down ring in the front of a pickup's bed or in any location where the boat cannot be slid forward so as to remove the hull hook. The hull hook method may be used in concert with a stern ring and chain for locking to a variety of fixed anchorage points. Another embodiment is designed for two boats. This embodiment joins two hull hooks into a V, as in FIG. 3, with the eye located at the point or terminus of the V and the hooks on the two divergent legs. The two boat hull hook is suitable for use in pickup beds, as in FIG. 4, or in locations where the boats cannot be slid forward from the hooks' grasp, Both the single boat and tandem boat hull hook can be used with a variety of canoes. The hull hook is positioned to hook the canoe's seat rather than the deck and cockpit of a kayak.

The present small craft locking device is designed to present canoe and kayak owners with a simple adaptable and versatile system for effectively securing their watercraft in a wide variety of situations. Whether one has a canoe, a sea kayak, a sit on top surf kayak or a whitewater kayak, this small craft locking device enables one to quickly secure a boat whether locking it to a tree, kayak rack, dock piling, or locking it to a car's roof rack or to the bed of your pickup. With embodiments suitable for all styles of canoe and kayak, the present small craft locking device's steel components are sheathed or coated in flexible plastic or polymeric foam and will not damage the finish, varnish or gel coat of a your boat. Using this small craft locking device will insure a boat is safe and secure from being dislodged or stolen.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 

1. A device for securing a small craft comprising: two rings, one being smaller than the other, each ring connecting to an eye at their midpoint; and a rigid hook ending with an eye on a long end of said hook and a padded piece on a short end of said hook, the eye of the hook connecting to the eye of the smaller ring; and the eye of the larger ring being connected to the hail hook at the first bend in the hook relative to its long end by a flexible piece.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the rings are hexagonal in shape.
 3. The device of claim 1 made from coated metal materials.
 4. A device for securing a small craft comprising: two hexagonally shaped rings, one being a bow ring which is shorter in width than the other, a stern ring; and each ring connecting to a metal eye at the midpoint of their longer side; and a metal hall hook ending with a metal eye on a long end and a padded piece on the short end, the eye of the metal hall hook connecting to the eye of the bow ring; and the metal eye of the stern ring being connected by a metal chain or bar to the hall hook at the first bend in the hook relative to the long end.
 5. A device comprising a metal hook having an eye terminating its long end and a padded portion on its short end, said hook connecting to a chain. 